Is Bogdan Bogdanovic playing tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals?
Bogdan Bogdanovic could make a return for the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night to face the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals.
The Serbian wing shooter missed 25 games during the regular season due to a fracture in his right knee. However, coach Nate McMillan was prompt to dismiss claims that the fracture has anything to do with the current soreness Bogdanovic is feeling.
He was pulled out of game six against the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals but returned for game seven. However, the 28-year-old wasn't his usual self, missing all four of his three-point attempts on the night.
Against the Bucks, Bogdanovic has been listed as questionable and will likely be a game-time decision by the Hawks.
Why the Atlanta Hawks need Bogdan Bogdanovic against the Milwaukee Bucks
The Atlanta Hawks will go into their series against the Milwaukee Bucks, hoping that their opponents defend as they did in the regular season. During the regular season, the Bucks allowed the most three-point efforts by any team, an area of the game where the Hawks thrive in.
Atlanta's scoring options from the deep will need to be proflic for the team to advance from this contest. One of those options, Bogdan Bogdanovic, already knows how to play against the Milwaukee Bucks. In two matchups against them this year, the guard scored a combined total of 60 points, hitting 12 threes from 23 attempts.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is going to be one of the most important players in the Atlanta Hawks' roster in the coming years after signing a 4-year extension before this season. This season, he has scored a career-best 43.8% of threes and averaged 16.4 points per game.
So far in the playoffs, he is yet to find his touch, though. The Atlanta Hawks will be hoping for that to happen against the Milwaukee Bucks, as they will need all the help they can get. Bogdanovic has averaged 13.8 points and five rebounds in the postseason but has scored just 30% of threes and shot at 39% from the field.
Against the 76ers, before his injury, Bogdan Bogdanovic was taking his fair share of the scoring load from Trae Young and had two 20+ point games. He remains one of the Hawks' most reliable and potent offensive threats. But the Hawks may not want to risk further inflaming his knee in game one, so he could instead feature later on in the series.